


A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

by Musetotheworld



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, photography lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: Nia's having trouble finding the right pictures to go with her stories. Kara has an idea that might help.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Nia Nal
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Argyle_S](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argyle_S/gifts).



Kara’s gotten pretty good at keeping her hearing tucked in. Sirens and alarms can still break through, but she’s good at keeping the everyday noise around her out.

Mostly.

95% of her coworkers are classified as background noise. Unimportant unless they’re yelling, nothing more than a comforting murmur she can hear but ignore. Even if they are yelling, she’s still pretty good about tuning them out after checking it’s not important.

That 5%, though, those are the ones Kara can’t entirely tune out. Her friends, the trusted few who know her secret. The ones who are there for her, and so the ones she can’t just ignore. Not if she’s going to be there for them. She can avoid details, but there’s a constant awareness in the back of her mind.

Right now, she’s in the middle of some tough edits, trying to get her draft as clean as possible before sending it off to editing. She’ll miss something, she always does, but she’s gotten better about the big things. And it’ll save time when it comes back if she’s only got a few things to fix.

But all thoughts of spelling and comma placement vanish in a second when she hears the sound of Nia cursing in the distance. It’s not the first time, but it’s uncommon enough to pull Kara’s attention and send her looking for her friend.

She finds Nia in her old office, the one Kara’s somehow managed to keep over the years and management changes. It’s a handy place for reporter to superhero transitions, and even better for the reverse on their way back. And more than that, it’s a good place for uninterrupted writing time when deadlines loom. They don’t use it often, but Kara’s offered it to Nia whenever she needs a bit of space. As nice as it is to have a desk and space in the main bullpen, sometimes a good flow needs a bit of separation to keep going.

“Everything okay in here?”

From her place at the door, peeking around the jam, she can see Nia sitting on the floor in front of the desk. Dozens of photos are spread around her, some in pieces. A quick focus over the edge of her glasses tells Kara they’re all of roughly the same thing, different perspectives on some event Nia’d been assigned to cover last night.

It’s strange, though, because Kara thought it went well. Nia’d sent a text afterward, going over the different lines and ideas she had for the story. It should’ve been an easy write and file. Not a curse-worthy struggle.

“No, it’s not okay!” 

Nia’s voice is louder than Kara’d expected, and with a quick look down the hallway, she ducks inside to shut the door behind her. The soundproofing on the room is better than you’d think, enough to keep most people from hearing anything other than an all-out argument. If Nia’s going to be that loud through the entire conversation, they’ll need that protection.

“Sorry, I know I shouldn’t draw attention while we’re in here,” Nia says when the click of the door registers. “I’m just so, so frustrated at the photos from last night! There’s not a single great shot, and most of the decent shots are of something useless. How am I supposed to write a good story that’ll get noticed if none of the photos draw your attention?”

Kara winces in understanding, giving the photos another look now that she knows what she’s looking for. Nia’s right, none of the pictures are good. An unfortunate number of them are blurry, and those that aren’t are crowd shots more often than not. There’s nothing that stands out.

“These are-”

“They’re trash!” Nia interrupts, tearing another blurry shot into small pieces before throwing them across the room. “Lately, getting a good shot is nearly impossible. I’ve been lucky enough to find one or two, but this time there’s nothing. And I can’t afford to buy rights to someone else’s image.”

That earns another wince, and Kara crosses the room to double-check all of the photos. Maybe there’s one that’s bearable?

But no, there’s nothing. It was a faint hope to begin with, but now Kara has to admit the collection of photos scattered across the floor are some of the worst pieces of photography she’s seen in a long time. She’d known the art department quality went down after James left, but had it really fallen so far?

“I just don’t know what to do,” Nia is saying when Kara focuses back on the conversation. “This story isn’t that big, but I’m getting more important stories all the time. And I obviously can’t trust the photographers to take the pictures I’ll need for them.”

“What if you take your own?”

It’s not common, but Kara knows a few of the writers who prefer to take their own pictures for their stories. It’s more work, and juggling the task of reporting and photographing can be a struggle, but it gives them more control over the finished project. And that sounds exactly like what Nia needs right now.

Except- “That won’t do me much good if I can’t do any better than this mess. I have no experience with cameras beyond the occasional selfie or candid. Photography on this level is completely different.”

Kara tries not to be too discouraged by Nia’s disagreement. If she doesn’t feel comfortable with photography, well then, the only solution is to help her get there. It’s the same kind of mentoring from the beginning of their superhero lessons, with the added dynamic of Kara not knowing much more about photography than Nia does. Still, she’d hung around James for years, she’s picked up a bit. Surely enough to help.

Unspoken and barely thought before Kara can push it down is the niggling idea that having the additional skill can only help Nia if she decides to leave CatCo. Much as it pains Kara to think of ever leaving the place she’d met Cat, Nia might one day make that decision. And she deserves to have the greatest chance she can if she does.

So with a smile and without another thought, Kara makes the offer.

“If that’s the only issue, then we just have to teach you! It might take a while before you’re really good, but it can’t be hard to do better than this, right?”

It’s a little harsh when Kara has no idea who took the photos or why they’re this bad, but really. She’s pretty sure a quick shot on her phone would end up better than half of these. With a decent camera and a few lessons, there’s no doubt Nia can manage.

One week and the acquisition of a good medium range camera later, they meet at Kara’s loft.

Kara’s used the time well, studying shot composition basics to make sure she’s clear on the best way to help Nia. With a specific goal in mind, a lot of the tutorials she finds aren’t the most applicable, but there’s still good advice to find in the mix.

Mindful of what will help Nia most, Kara has a plan. The windows in the apartment give a good mix of light and shadow, to help practice shots in mixed lighting. And if she moves around, Nia can practice motion shots, and waiting for the right moment to capture the action. Far more immediately helpful than taking a dozen different pictures of a fruit bowl. That can come later if Nia finds she really enjoys photography, but for now the lessons are about helping grab the right shots for her stories. And that means action shots, not still life.

“So, how are we doing this?” Nia asks when she’s got her camera ready.

“We’re going to talk, but while I’m walking around, you’re going to stand there and try to take as many good pictures as possible.”

“Of?”

“Of me.” Kara thought that was self-explanatory, but from the way Nia fumbles the camera, maybe it wasn’t. “I thought it would be the fastest way to learn, but if that’s not okay…”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Nia sounds cheerful, almost too cheerful. But she isn’t protesting, and after they’ve spent as much time training together as they have, Kara knows she can trust Nia when she says something is okay.

With that in mind, she starts wandering around the room, pausing every so often when she’s fully in the light or in shadow. She can tell Nia’s taking too many pictures, but that’ll be something to review once the first trip around the room is done.

When she’s about a third of the way around, Kara decides Nia’s as settled in as she’s going to get. “So, Alex told me she found a new Chinese place across town that’s really good.”

“Alex found a place you haven’t?” It’s teasing and familiar, which makes Kara glad they’re back to normal conversation rather than the too cheerful Nia from before.

“I don’t know every place in town,” Kara protests in turn, stopping in front of a window that’s sending in a lot of light. It’s a tricky shot, but she wants to see how Nia handles it on the first try. “Plus, she said it looked new.”

“How did she find it?”

Deciding she’s paused long enough, Kara starts again. She’s about halfway around the room now, and she’s trying to keep her pace steady. It won’t do any good to rush the last bit, no matter how impatient she is to see Nia’s skill level.

“Something about a stakeout? Some guy claimed he had alien weaponry for sale, so she went to check it out.”

“I thought they’d tracked down the source of weapons into National City last month?” Nia asks, camera dropping far enough Kara can see the frown on her face. It makes Kara want to point out the lapse, but she’s determined that this first round will be about learning from experience. She’ll point out the lack of pictures from this stretch later.

“Oh, they did. Turns out, the guy was selling crates of painted nerf guns. Apparently, Vasquez started a ‘training’ fight in one of the break rooms once they’d cleared them all.” To hear Alex tell the story, every available agent had waded into the fray, grabbing the chance for a little lighthearted fun. Lighthearted fun that Alex won, of course.

“Sounds like an interesting stakeout,” Nia says as she quickly raises the camera, belatedly remembering the point of today. She’s clicking madly again to make up for lost time, and Kara smiles as she crosses the last few feet between them, holding out her hand for the camera when she’s close enough.

Nia looks nervous as she hands it over, so Kara gives her a reassuring smile before starting to scroll through the pictures. The most recent ones, where she’d been taking shots almost continuously, are blurred, as Kara’d expected. Not all of them, but enough to be noticeable. And the ones that aren’t still aren’t amazing. They’re good, for a beginner, but they catch Kara at random moments and facial expressions as she talks. There’s no waiting for the right moment to take the picture, no deliberate framing to make a good shot.

But that’s pretty much what Kara’d expected. Nia’s not a photographer, she’s someone who picked up a camera and started taking pictures. And she’d done so while Kara deliberately tried to distract her. As a starting point, it’s promising. She remembers a few things James used to point out that feel relevant here, so she makes a mental note to bring them up when she’s finished looking through.

She does point out the gap in photos to Nia as she gets to that point. It’s not a big deal for today, but allowing herself to get distracted during an important moment of an event could mean missing the perfect shot.

“It’s just like being a reporter, or a superhero. When the camera or the suit is out, you should be in the zone.”

Nia nods, every bit as determined to master this as she was her early superhero lessons. It brings a smile to Kara’s face, and she quickly starts scrolling through the pictures again before Nia can notice and comment.

The next few are good, not great, but well-timed and capturing a sense of movement in each one. Easily better than the options Nia had for her story, but Kara knows that’s an easy claim to make. Still, it’s a good sign. With a little practice, Nia could be a fantastic photographer.

Then she gets to the tricky shots, the one standing in full sunlight.

Kara’s first thought is that she should apologize, Nia’s clearly already a fantastic photographer. Her second is to wonder how on earth a beginner could take something like this.

Perfectly framed, with the sunlight behind her, Kara seems to glow in the picture. She’s smiling, a fond look on her face as she thinks about her sister (and probably the Chinese food, Kara knows herself well enough to admit that). It’s the perfect moment, the perfect emotion, and it reminds Kara of nothing more than the picture James gifted her before their short-lived dating adventure. It’s the same type of candid, with the same kind of emotion.

“I can’t be that bad, can I?” Nia asks when Kara’s been silent awhile. “Did I catch you with a weird stop motion look on your face or something?”

The words shock Kara out of her musings but don’t quite register. “What? No, no, this is really, really good, Nia. This is the shot you’re working for.”

A surprised look is all she gets in return, so without another word, Kara turns the camera around so she can see. A picture is worth a thousand words and all.

Whatever reaction she’d expected, it wasn’t the blush that crosses Nia’s face as she takes in the shot. It’s a good picture, one Kara’s already debating having printed and framed, but it’s not blush-worthy.

“I took this? But this looks amazing.”

Something about the moment feels heavy, so Kara tries a joke to lighten the mood. “Well, you had a really good subject, I’m sure that helps.”

The blush deepens, and Kara starts to put two and two together. The blush, the smiles, the soft way Nia laughed about Alex finding a new Chinese place. Added to the way Nia acts around her all the time, the looks, the hugs, even the easy way conversation always flows between them. All the hints about something Nia might feel for her.

And then Kara lets herself think about her feelings for Nia. She usually doesn’t, long used to pushing her emotions for people down. She hasn’t exactly been lucky in love throughout her life. Sometimes it’s easier to ignore the feelings than it is to acknowledge them.

But if Nia could possibly return those feelings, then maybe it isn’t as dangerous. Maybe Kara can safely admit that yes, she likes those looks, those hugs, those easy conversations between them. And yes, maybe she’d like more.

A split second of super-speed mental debate and Kara throws caution to the winds. “You know, that reminds me of some advice I read over the past week while I was studying.”

Nia’s still flushing, so Kara hurries on before it can get awkward. Or before she loses her nerve.

“It seemed like an overused cliche, but now I don’t know. Maybe there is something to the saying ‘only photograph what you love.’”

At her words, Nia drops the camera, and only Kara’s reactions and a bit of super-speed keep it from hitting the ground.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that move brings her closer to Nia without warning, closer than she’d intended. Unfortunately, because it makes Nia gasp. Fortunately, because that gasp is about the sweetest sound Kara’s ever heard. It’s nearly a match for the way Nia looks from this close, close enough it’s impossible to miss the way her eyes dart down to Kara’s lips.

That’s a step beyond Kara’s current courage, but oh how she wishes it wasn’t. This moment feels like a bubble, short-lived and cut off from the rest of the world. And when it pops, Kara’s afraid things might go back to normal, settle into the old comfortable friendship, and avoid the feelings she’s almost certain are returned.

She’s trying to work up the last little bit of bravery to lean forward and cross the distance when Nia does it for her. Her lips are soft and almost hesitant as the kiss begins, but when Kara registers what’s happening and begins to kiss back, Nia’s confidence clearly grows.

“Wait, wait,” Kara says when the kiss deepens, pulling back with a groan before leaning forward again for a quick peck to make sure Nia knows it’s not a rejection. “Let me put the camera down before I drop it, I really want that shot framed.”

It’s the work of a split second to set it down, then Kara returns to Nia’s arms and their kiss, all thoughts of the lesson forgotten. 

After all, Nia’s a natural.


End file.
